POLITICO Huddle: WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR RYAN TO RUN — Cotton wants Cheney as speaker — Ex-Im makes comeback — BENGHAZI PANEL'S LATEST DRAMA — PLAYING HARD TO GET: How do you get the reluctant man from Janesville to run for speaker? Jake Sherman reports there's but one way: Get the whole House GOP on board.

Senate Republicans open door to weakening the filibuster — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is opening the door to changing the filibuster in response to growing pressure from Republicans angered that Democrats have blocked legislation from reaching the White House.

The two big problems hurting House Republicans — Discussing the chaos gripping the House Republican caucus, Joe Scarborough put his finger on one of the major problems facing House Republicans: a lack of strategic thinking. The former Republican congressman from Florida mused last week …

South Carolina, Nevada CNN polls find Clinton far ahead — (CNN)With Hillary Clinton behind in New Hampshire and holding on to a narrowing margin over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Iowa, new CNN/ORC polls in Nevada and South Carolina suggest Clinton holds strong support in the two states that could prove to be a firewall for her.

Rep. Flores eyeing run for speaker — <p>Texas Rep. Bill Flores is moving toward running for House speaker, and has sent a letter to his colleagues laying out what he sees as his qualifications.</p><p> But Flores, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, said in the letter that he "will …

Thresholds of Violence — On the evening of April 29th last year, in the southern Minnesota town of Waseca, a woman was doing the dishes when she looked out her kitchen window and saw a young man walking through her back yard. He was wearing a backpack and carrying a fast-food bag …

Marilynne Robinson: A Conversation in Iowa — The following conversation between President Obama and Marilynne Robinson was conducted in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 14. An audio recording of it can be heard at itunes.com/nybooks. —The Editors — President Obama and Marilynne Robinson …

Clinton Emails Became the New Focus of Benghazi Inquiry — WASHINGTON — When the House select committee investigating the 2012 attacks on American government outposts in Benghazi, Libya, was created, Democrats immediately criticized it as a partisan effort to damage the political fortunes of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Serious Problem with Treating Donald Trump Seriously — Media outlets and candidates alike are pondering how to take down Donald. Michael Kinsley writes that the answer might be quite simple. — The trouble with Donald Trump is not, as Jeb Bush and others would have it, that he's not a true conservative from any perspective.

The one question that hawks need to answer about Syria — Hawks want the United States to intervene in Syria. They have some good reasons. But they don't have an answer to this question. — The hard-working staff here at Spoiler Alerts has discussed the mess in Syria a lot in recent weeks …

Milford schools ban Halloween — Milford parents and other residents are outraged by the school district's recent decision to ban the popular Halloween parades at the city's elementary schools, due to fear of excluding children who can't or won't participate in the tradition.

President Obama — Steve Kroft questions President Obama on topics including Russia's incursion in Syria, ISIS and the 2016 presidential race — The following is a script from “President Obama” which aired on October 11, 2015. Steve Kroft is the correspondent.

A Very Revealing Conversation With Rihanna — The author and filmmaker Miranda July asks the pop superstar what turns her on, how she handles the pressure of public scrutiny and why she's been Googling childbirth. (Then they become best friends.) — I DRESSED VERY CAREFULLY for her …

This Fake Candidate Just Beat Jeb Bush in a Straw Poll — “Honest Gil” Fulbright's presidential campaign is literally a joke, but that didn't stop him from beating Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham in a New Hampshire straw poll over the weekend. — Played by actor Frank Ridley …